THE DANDY COMIC ON THE VERGE OF CANCELLATION

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 01 May 2006, 22:47

Bad bad news, It looks like the Dandy comic is on the verge of cancellation. The comic was set for a big re-launch/redesign from next year, this has now been cancelled & the large majority of it will now be reprint material, to me this looks likely to end in the cancellation of the worlds longest running comic an absolute disaster for British comics.

Originally posted by Azteccomics on the old forum on 07/12/2003

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 01 May 2006, 22:47

The Dandy...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I love Tom Patterson's Brain Dwane...Bananaman Steve Bright's work...Bad Max Though I can't stand Cuddles and Dimples!! Korky the cat and Desperate Dan will be gutted! Revamp the Dandy....Though Buster comic lasted 5 years on reprints!! If the dandy goes the beano will be weakened!!! A very gutted Peter Gray.... Less jobs for comic artists... More nostagia!!!! Keep the Dandy Handy...REVAMP IT NOT REPRINT IT!!

Originally posted by Peter Gray on the old forum on 07/12/2003

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 01 May 2006, 22:48

Kev, In September you were talking about them re-launching the Wizard... if they are even considering launching a new weekly title surely they are not likely to be cancelling such an institution ..?? I really do hope not .. just when things were slightly looking up... OR maybe they cancel it to make way for the new launch?? Waiting with bated breath Spence

Originally posted by Spence on the old forum on 07/12/2003

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 01 May 2006, 22:48

Spence, I contacted Dave Windett again to see if he had any new news on The Wizard comic this was his reply. Hi Kevin sorry I have no idea what is happening to the roaches, but the signs for the Wizard don't look good. I have been recently informed that a significant amount of the Dandy's content is to become re-print material, the result of which means no work for yours truly. I was working on the designs for a new Dandy strip, a manga style Tom thumb strip, but all work on that and a number of other new strips which were being developed for a re-launch of the comic have put on permanent hold. Just what I needed before Christmas. all the best Dave

Originally posted by Azteccomics on the old forum on 07/12/2003

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 01 May 2006, 22:48

Ouch!! pretty bad news if its true and the Dandy was just starting to look like a modern humour kids comic for the first time I can remember. However, DC Thomsons have a habit of err shall we say creative marketing around this time of the year - I remember stories in the past of them havign tio stop publishing certain characters like the Bash Street Kids, Desperate Dan and Denace the Menace who were all to go through major changes (PC type stuff - ie "FATTY" was to slim down etc) that never happened.Then the big scramash over Biffo going off the cover and Lord Snooty being taken out etc I hope this story is along similar lines. However I read somewhere that the Dandy's sales had dropped to below 50,000 a week , which for a relatively cheap weekly comic isnt a lot - if kids aint interested then could the Beano be far behind????? I hear in America Image, Grossgen and a few others are on the verge of losing most of their titles as well, with some looking to cease publishing. Pretty sad tho' for the DANDY if its to stop but seems comics are yesterdays entertainment.

Originally posted by PAUL MCSCOTTY on the old forum on PAUL MCSCOTTY

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 01 May 2006, 22:49

Recently there was a news story, with regards a toy gun given away with the dandy being banned on planes, in the same article it stated the Dandy sold 250,000 copies a week. I must say its long overdue a revamp & some of the recent stories have been crap. I feel a save the Dandy campaign coming on!

Originally posted by Azteccomics on the old forum on 07/12/2003

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 01 May 2006, 22:49

50, 000 is well over double 2000AD's circulation. I know it's cheaper but DCT print their own material whereas Fleetway (in all their guises) always outsourced.

Originally posted by Chris on the old forum on 08/12/2003

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 01 May 2006, 22:52

No the Danday def does not sell over 250,000 copies - more 70,000 if that from what I have heard. 250,000 is probably the monthly sales. SHOCKED to hear that 2000AD only sells around 25,000 is that correct I though it was well up there in the 100,000 a week bracket.

Originally posted by Just Comics on the old forum on 08/12/2003

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 01 May 2006, 22:52

My understanding is that the circulation figures published by ABC is the Beano and Dandy COMBINED

Originally posted by Brendan McGuire on the old forum on 08/12/2003

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 01 May 2006, 22:53

I'm wondering whether or not a combined Beano & Dandy weekly comic is not to far away. The Dandy comic now has a weekly strip called Dandy days in Beanotown where the Dandy embassy is! Any comments

Originally posted by Azteccomics on the old forum on 08/12/2003

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 01 May 2006, 22:54

I've done some research & most reports have the Beano as the top selling comic with 23% of the market at 170,000 to 200,000 copies per week, with the Dandy 3rd with 8% of the market at 110,000 to 140,000 copies per week. These figures don't look to bad to me.

Originally posted by Azteccomics on the old forum on 08/12/2003

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 01 May 2006, 22:54

Aztec / Brendan - these figures seem more in line with what I thought (ok I though it was 50K - but like Brendan I read it as combined sales with Beano being by far the top seller) - 80 - 110k seems to me like they should give it more time unless of course this is falling sales - Looks like kids comics could be on the way out if a brand leader like the Dandy can fail - it can haoppen does anyone remember the market leader inth eUS inthe 60s Harvey where are they now???- altho I think DCT need to give the kids more cutting edge stuff like Ken Reid and early Baxendale provided - Patterson and Bright have the right Idea but the rest on the Dandy strips are a bit twee to me.

Originally posted by PAUL MCSCOTTY on the old forum on 08/12/2003

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 01 May 2006, 22:54

Well, yeah, Dandy is very twee but I think that's deliberate. It's much more juvenile whilst Beano is sadistic enough for some adults to still enjoy. Nothing wrong with having a contrast.

Originally posted by Chris on the old forum on 09/12/2003

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 01 May 2006, 22:55

The Dandy needs to be more punchy like the 80's Jocks and G Smasher Bully Beef and chips more drama... Black Bob Pete's pocket Grandad more schools.. Brassneck Robin Hood schooldays It needs to appeal more to adults...Billy the Cat.. Patterson and Bright are the only reason I buy it! More clever humour.....no more babyish stuff!! Peter Gray

Originally posted by Peter Gray on the old forum on 09/12/2003

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 01 May 2006, 22:55

Peter, I totally agree, some of the rubbish in it today like agent dog 2 zero is an insult to the classic strips of the past like Smasher & Bully Beef. A lot of the successful other comics today are spin-offs from cartoons, so maybe Thomson need to look at getting a new Bananaman cartoon off the ground in the 80's he was a huge marketing tool for them.

Originally posted by Azteccomics on the old forum on Azteccomics